Itinerary

On arrival at Beijing International airport transfer to the hotel. The rest of the day is free for your own at Leisure. Overnight at hotel in Beijing (D)

Day 02: Beijing

This morning, we explore the heart of Beijing including the vast Tiananmen Square where Chairman Mao’s tomb and various monuments to the people are located. Dominating the city’s heart is the Forbidden City, a centre of power for five centuries and seat of the emperors. Entering through the Gate of Heavenly Peace (replete with Chairman Mao’s portrait), we enjoy a guided tour of this old city within a city. In the afternoon, we visit temple of Heaven.
Overnight at hotel in Beijing (BLD)

Day 03: Beijing Great Wall

Guided tour of The Great Wall and Ming TombThe Great Wall, one of the world’s most popular tourist attractions, is 3,333 miles long and was built section by section between the 5th century BC and 16th century AD. The section you will be visiting is Mu Tian Yu, a scenic and less crowded section of the Great Wall, where you can take a cable car for the brief ride to the highest restored portion. From where you can walk as far you can.(Please wear good walking shoes and be prepared for weather)
After Great wall visit Beijing Bird’s nest and Water Tube.
In the evening watch Beijing acerbating show.
Overnight at hotel in Beijing (BLD)

Day 04: Beijing Bullet train Xian

In the morning transfer to Beijing train station for bullet train to Xian. Upon arrival in Xian you will be met by our Guide and transfer to your hotel.
Overnight at hotel in Xian. (BD)

Day 05: Xian Terracotta Warriors

Today we visit the exquisite Terracotta Warriors, considered the greatest archaeological discovery of the last century. The figures vary in height from 182cm to 195cm, according to their role; the tallest being the generals. The figures include warriors, chariots, horses, officials, acrobats, strongmen, and musicians. It is estimated that 8,000 soldiers, 130 chariots with 520 horses, and 150 cavalry horses exist in the 3 pits on the excavation site, with the majority still buried in the pit l.
We return to the city and visit big Wild Goose Pagoda, Xian Great Mosque and Muslim quarter.
Overnight at hotel in Xian. (BLD)

Day 06: Xian- Dunhuang

Flight to Dunhuang. In the evening we will be visiting Mingsha sand dunes, known as the Singing Sands. Here we will have an opportunity to ride a camel across the desert to a lovely crescent-shaped lake set amidst the impressive sand dunes. Overnight at hotel in Dunhuang(BLD).

Day 07: Dunhuang Mugao Cave – Bullet train to Turfan

Morning we visit Mugao caves-chapels, a UNESCO World Heritage site. This complex of some 492 cave-chapels was built around 386 AD and is a veritable museum of magnificent sculpture and beautiful wall paintings in both Chinese and Central Asian styles. Later in the afternoon transfer to the train station for Turfan. Overnight at hotel in Turfan(BL).

Day 08: Turfan

Full day city tour of Turfan. Turfan is the oasis city in the province of Xinjiang. Turfan is inhabited mainly by Uighur people. We visit the ancient ruined city of Jiaohe, richly coloured Flaming Mountains and Bezeklik Thousand Buddha Caves and Grape Valley. In the evening, enjoy the local Uighur dance.
Overnight at hotel in Turfan(BLD)

Day 09: Urumqi-Kashgar

Drive to Urumqi. Visit the museum, famous for their Mummies. Tour the Grand Market, later in the evening transfer to Urumqi airport for flight to Kashgar. Overnight at hotel in Kashgar (BLD).

Day 10: Kashgar Sunday Market

This day is planned to coincide with the famous Sunday market in Kashgar where everything from carpets, blankets, foods, horses, donkeys, sheep’s and even camels are for sale! Wonderful assortments of people come from all over the region, and the population of the town swells by 100,000! This is truly one of the most incredible bazaars in Asia, and a photographer’s paradise!
Overnight at hotel in Kashgar (BLD)

Day 11: Kashgar Tash Rabat – Narayn (Kyrgyzstan)
In the morning transfer to the border crossing of Torugart pass. After border formalities you will be met by our Kyrgyz team. Later, visit the Caravan Sarai dated from 11th century which served as a fortress for travellers along the Great Silk Road. Continue driving to Naryn. Overnight at Guesthouse in Naryn with basic facilities (BLD)

Day 12: Issyk Kul Lake
Today our destination is Lake Issyk-Kul, which is the second-largest alpine lake after Lake Titicaca in South America. A combination of depth, thermal activity and mild salinity means the lake never freezes, thus its name `Issyk-Kul’ means `warm lake’. Archaeological discoveries from the lake’s bottom include ancient relics and graves dating back to the first millennium BC. An ancient trade center from the second century BC is thought to have been destroyed by the rise and fall of the lake’s level. Before checking in at our hotel we will visit Cholpan-Ata, known for petroglyphs which are thought to have been created by the tribes of the Neolithic period. The images are mainly primitive long-horned ibex, horses, camels and snow leopards. Overnight at hotel in Issyk Kul Lake. (BLD).

Day 13: Bishkek
In the morning drive to Bishkek. En-route we visit Burana tower which was built in the 11 centuries. Overnight at hotel in Bishkek (BLD)

Day 14: Tashkent (Uzbekistan)
In the morning visit Ala-Archa National Park for a picnic lunch followed by a city tour of Bishkek in the afternoon.
Late evening transfer to the airport for Uzbekistan airways flight HY 780 EDT 6:40pm ETA to Tashkent at 7:00pm. On arrival at Tashkent airport you will be met by our Uzbek guide and transfer to your hotel.
Overnight at hotel in Tashkent (BLD)

Day 15: Tashkent-Urgench Khiva
Morning flight to Urgench and transfer to Khiva. Depending on the flight schedule, possibly half day sightseeing of Khiva city. Overnight at hotel in Khiva (BLD)

Day 16: Khiva City Tour
Legend has it that Khiva was founded when Shem, son of Noah, discovered a well here. The town certainly existed by the 8th Century, as a minor fort and trading post on a Silk Road branch to the Caspian Sea and the Volga. In the early 16th century, Khiva was made capital of the Timurid Empire, becoming a busy slave market and pivot of the khanate for the next three centuries. Until Russia finally wrested the region from Timurid’s grasp in the 19th century, even the boldest hearts feared encounters with these fierce tribesmen and their desert territory. Khiva is an ancient walled city and looks much like it did in centuries past. It is one of the few sites in Central Asia where one can easily imagine life during the time of the emirates. We will spend the morning wandering it’s maze of ruins and great mosques. Later, a tour of this living museum including the Ichon-Qala gates, Muhammad Amin and Rakhim Khan’s Medressas, Tosh-Khovli Palace, Islom-Huja Medressa and Minaret. Overnight at hotel in Khiva (BLD)

Day 17: Khiva-Bukhara
Our drive to Bukhara is through the arid setting of the Kyzyl Kum Desert. Along the way we stop for some refreshments and see how humans have survived over the centuries in this unforgiving landscape. With buildings spanning 1,000 years of history and city centre that has not changed much in past two centuries, Bukhara is one of the best places in Central Asia to catch a glimpse of pre-Russian Turkestan. Most of the city centre is an architectural preserve and includes a massive royal fortress, plenty of former Madrassas, a number of ancient public baths and the remnants of a once-vast market complex. There are over 140 protected buildings in the city. Overnight at hotel in Bukhara (BLD)

Day 18: Bukhara: City Tour
Today we explore the old quarter on foot. Bukhara is an ancient city with bustling “trade domes”, active mosques, and the Kalyan Minaret (“tower of death”), one of Central Asia’s tallest. We’ll stroll around the streets and visit the old town centre where old men with long white beards gossip for hours over cups of tea. Bukhara has been designated a World Heritage Site; resulting in the complete restoration of some of the 11th to 15th century mosques. There are even some structures still standing that date back to Zorastrian times 2,500 years ago. We also visit the massive fortress The Ark, with the Emir’s open-air throne room and the Mausoleum of Ismail Samani, an intricate and beautiful 10th century brick structure that is nicely preserved. We’ll also venture to the outskirts of Bukhara and visit the summer palace of the last emir, built by a Russian Czar with grand halls and a harem. We will also see Char Minar, a gate of a ancient madrassa long time gone. It was built in 1809 and has more in common with Indian art styles than local. Overnight at hotel in Bukhara (BLD)

Day 19: Bukhara
Full free day at leisure.
Overnight at hotel in Bukhara (B)

Day 20: Bukhara – Shakhrisabz – Samarkand
We depart early for Shakhrisabz, the birthplace of Tamerlane, where we tour Ak-Saray Palace, Kok-Gumbaz Mosque, House of Meditation and the Crypt of Timur, a man who changed the course of Central Asian history. There’s little left of Timur’sAk-Saray Palace except bits of the gigantic, 40 m (98 foot) high entrance covered with gorgeous filigree like blue, white and gold mosaics, but it’s staggering to try and imagine what the rest of this glorious summer palace must have looked like. We continue later to Samarkand. For most people, Samarkand is as mythical as Atlantis or as remote and legendary as Tombouctou. The sublime larger-than-life monuments of Timur, the technicolour bazaar and the city’s long, rich history work a special kind of magic. On arrival we’ll visit the old bazaars for which this exotic city is famous. Overnight at hotel in Samarkand (BLD)

Day 21: Samarkand: City Tour
Samarkand, sometimes called the ‘Rome of the Orient’ was already flourishing when Rome and Babylon were founded. During the course of our full day tour we visit the famous Registan Square, Bibi Khanum Mosque, Mausoleum of Tamerlane, Observatory of Ulughbek, the site where Uleg Bek, grandson of Tamerlane, made some of the greatest achievements of the pre-telescope era of astronomy in the 15th century. We also visit the regal mausoleums of Shah-I Zinda, site of Central Asia’s most sacred Islamic shrine, the massive mosque of BibiKhanym, and the adjacent colourful market. You can purchase Samarkand’s famous bread which Alexander the Great unsuccessfully tried to have duplicated back home in Greece, or try some of the region’s local produce, from grapes to the world’s tastiest melons of multiple varieties. Our afternoon tour covers the Afrosiab Museum, located on the site of ancient. Overnight at hotel in Samarkand (BLD)

Day 22: Samarkand-Tashkent
In the morning we drive along the scenic road as it winds along the eastern spurs of the Pamir Ranges to Tashkent. We continue on a city tour of Tashkent visiting mosques and madrassas (Islamic schools) housing craft workshops and dating from the 14th century. We visit the Kukeldash Medressa, a grand 16th century academy undergoing restoration and the History Museum of Uzbekistan and the Museum of Fine Arts. Overnight at hotel in Tashkent (BLD)

Day 23: Onward flight
Trip will end with airport transfer (B)

Notes

coming soon

Map

Coming soon

Dates/Prices

Tour costs and Dates

We guarantee all tour departures for a minimum of 2 passengers. In order to confirm your booking we will need a non-refundable deposit of 400 USD per person. The final invoice will be sent to you 4 weeks before the tour departure, the final cost dependent on the final group size. If the following dates or the described itinerary does not meet your travel needs, please write to us, we can arrange a customized tour for you.

Tour cost comfort class

No of Pax.

2

3-5

6-9

10 Above

Single Supplement

Price in US Dollar per person

$7000

$6475

$5500

$5085

$1040

Tour cost tourists class

No of Pax.

2

3-5

6-9

10-14

Single Supplement

Price in US Dollar per person

$5990

$5450

$4470

$4160

$600

Hotels

Places

Comfort class hotels

Tourist Class hotels

Beijing

Prime Hotel

Kings Joys Hotel

Xian

Sofitel On Renmin Square

Xian Century Landscape Hotel

Dunhuang

Silk Road Hotel

Dunhuang Hotel

Turfan

Tuha Petroleum Hotel

Mexilap or Jiaohe Manor Hotel

Kashgar

Radisson Blu Hotel

Qini Bagh Hotel 5* Building

Naryn

Guest House

Guest House

Issyk Kul Lake

Karven Issyk Kul

3 Crown

Bishkek

Golden Tulip or Holiday Hotel

Asia Mountain Number 2

Tashkent

Lotte City Tashkent Palace or Radisson Blue Hotel

Shodlik Palace or Uzbekistan Hotel

Samarkand

Asia Hotel

Malika Prime

Bukhara

Asia Hotel or Zargaron Plaza

Hotel Divon Begi

Khiva

Malika Khivek or Asia

Malika classic

*** Please note that all above hotels are subject to availability or we will arrange alternative hotels of a similar standard.

TOUR COST INCLUDES

All private transfers in air-conditioned cars bus depends on the group size
High speed bullet trains in China
Domestic economy class flights
Xian to Dunhuang
Urumqi Kashgar
Bishkek Tashkent
Tashkent Urgench
Twin sharing accommodation at hotels mentioned above with private facilities one night stay in Guest house with basic communal facilities
Meals full board: for included meals please see Key (B) Breakfast (L) Lunch (D) Dinner
All the sightseeing tours as described in the itinerary and entrance fees
English speaking guides in each city in China fully escorted throughout Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan
Visa support letters if required

TOUR COST EXCLUDES

Visa Fees.
Expenses in hotels such as laundry, telephone and room service, etc.
Optional activities
Meals not mentioned above
Personal expenses
Single supplements
Tips for Guides and drivers
Early check in hotels and late checkout

***If you would like to customize your trip please write to us we are more than happy to arrange your trip according to your request

About Tour operators Silk Road and Himalayas

We are a small, highly experienced “boutique” travel company operating unique tours thoughout Central Asia, Far East, and Indian Subcontinent.